Chapter 8: Chase Through The Cobblestone Alley

"Run through the balcony. Don't look back, Sora."

Vardan snapped his belt shut with a sharp metallic click. The mahogany door in front of them shuddered violently under the strike of a sledgehammer. Sora remained frozen on the table. His hands were stiff as he hauled his wool trousers up. The lingering scent of sweat and their coupling still hung in the air, now distorted by the acrid stench of gunpowder seeping in.

"You trapped my father, you bastard!" Sora shouted. He snatched Vardan’s black blazer, wrapping it around his shivering frame.

Vardan didn't speak. He grabbed Sora’s shoulder, shoving him roughly toward the glass balcony door overlooking the back alley. "The Corvin clan is below. If they catch you, your head will be delivered to your father’s dinner table. Get to the north pier. Now."

Sora vaulted over the frozen wrought-iron railing. His feet hit a pile of trash bags with a dull thud. He didn't wait for an answer. Sora sprinted through the darkness of Lunastre’s stone alleys, slick with leftover snow. His breath hitched, his chest burning with raw heat. His lower body still ached, throbbing from Vardan’s brutal pounding on the table.

Vardan’s spent fluid felt tacky on his thighs, cooling rapidly against the bite of the night wind. Sora pushed his legs through the narrow labyrinth that reeked of fish guts and rotting garbage. His heart raced madly, not just from the run, but because the bite mark on his neck began to pulse in sync with his footsteps.

His dress shoes struck the pavement with a loud rhythm that invited death. Sora ducked into a dead-end alley behind the art market. Fuck. Two massive shadows emerged from behind a concrete pillar. The dim streetlights glinted off the cold barrels of 9mm handguns.

"Look what we caught. Valente’s golden boy is lost," the man in the leather jacket said with a foul smirk.

Sora skidded to a halt. His shoes slipped over a thin layer of ice. "I have no business with Corvin. Let me pass."

"Your business is being the collateral so your father surrenders the harbor next week," the man replied, spitting to the side. "But look at you. Whose expensive coat is this? Your body smells disgusting, Sora. You stink like a stray dog just finished mounting his bitch."

The second man laughed, flicking a switchblade that flashed with a sharp glint. "Maybe we should check what’s hidden under this coat before turning him over to the warehouse. I want to see how broken this little Valente is after playing with a predator."

"Don't take another step," Sora hissed. His chest rose and fell in rapid bursts. "I’m warning you, let me go or you’ll regret it."

"Regret it?" The mobster surged forward, the tip of his blade pressing into Sora’s chin. "You’re just contaminated scrap. You think we’re afraid of a bastard brat trembling like this? You’re nothing but bait."

"Don't touch me," Sora growled. His voice was low, vibrating in his throat like a cornered animal.

The mobster didn't care. He raised the butt of his gun, ready to crush Sora’s temple. Sora closed his eyes. But before the metal could meet his skin, a massive shadow plummeted from the roof of the old building above them.

Crash!

The man was hurled back, slamming into wooden crates until they shattered into splinters. A beast stood in the center of the alley. Its fur was pitch black like soot, absorbing all surrounding light. Its eyes were golden-yellow, glowing with a terrifying intensity. A low snarl ripped from its maw, vibrating the air straight through Sora’s ribs.

The second man trembled. His weapon shook uncontrollably in his hand. "Shi... Shifter? Why is there a monster here?"

The wolf gave him no opening. He lunged with lightning speed. His long fangs glistened under the moon, ready to tear flesh. Sora froze, staring at the predatory figure that felt hauntingly familiar yet entirely foreign.

"Vardan? Is that you?"

The wolf turned slightly. His gold eyes locked onto Sora’s gaze for one lethal second. The look was filled with bloodthirsty claim. Without a sound, he turned back to tear through the remaining enemy with a speed that ripped the night apart.